A different story
by janzen222
Summary: Years ago Avatar Aang was forced to seal away his oldest son in a block of ice. Years later Tenzin and Bei Fong have finally been able to release him. With powers that only the Avatar should have this man tries to find his place in a world completely different from the one he once knew. Korra however may finally have someone who she can relate to. Set in Book 1.
1. Chapter 1: The begining

_Three years after the fall of Ozai, the Avatar traveled the globe to restore balance. During these three years the Avatar became a father. However the child's mother was not the Avatar's lover. No, the child had been born out of lust, not love. Knowing that the child would be in capable hands, the two agreed that she would look after him though if he showed signs of airbending would return to his father for training. Years passed and the child showed remarkable potential with Earthbending, capable of doing things that no other child could. Some believed this was because his mother was the greatest Earthbender of the era. Others who knew of the child's father thought it was because he was the son of the Avatar. However when the child turned ten, he showed an ability that overshadowed his Earthbending talents. Not only could the child bend earth but he could bend the air as well. Some like the Avatar's wife believed this talent to be a curse and that only the Avatar should have the right to bend more than one element. Others believed this to be another gift that foretold great things. Regardless of what people believed however the child returned to his father for training. After an absence of three years the child returned bending not two, not three, but all four elements. This scared the people and so the Avatar was ordered to put his child down. The battle was intense as the child did not believe his power to be a curse but a blessing. In the end however the Avatar could not end the life of his child and so called upon the knowledge of his predecessors sealed him away in a frozen sphere never to walk again. Our story begins years later….._

"I'm telling you, we have evidence that he did not commit those crimes!" Tenzin bellowed in frustration. Lin sighed and rubbed her head in attempt to soothe the coming headache. This was not the first time Tenzin had come, the man's freedom and she doubt it would be the last.

"And I'm telling you Tenzin, that it does not matter whether he commited the crimes or not. Without a majority vote by the board, we cannot release him." She told him with a long sigh. "And trust me, you're not the only one wants to see him released. He's my brother to after all."

With a deep breath, Tenzin relaxed into the chair he was sitting in. "I'm sorry Lin. I should not have yelled like that. It's just that I've been presenting evidence for three years and yet they still won't sign the release forms." He apologized.

With a comforting smile Lin nodded. "I know and we both know we're not the only ones trying to see him released. After all it's the first thing Governor Kero brings up at every meeting. Hopefully between the three of us, we can see justice given."

"I'm telling you! If you'd just get your heads out of your asses, you'd be able to see that he hasn't done a single one of the crimes presented against him!" A voice rang out causing the two to groan. "Looks like the Governor is finally reaching the end of his limitless patience." Tenzin stated pinching the bridge of his nose.

"So what would you have us do?! Free him?! Not only is he a danger to the people but think about how the equalists will react if news was presented that we freed him!" Another voice screamed. "And theres General Jong's usual outburst." Lin said as the two waited for the yelling to die down.

"Look, we don't even have to let the press know. You're the last signature I need to see an innocent man free and I won't back down until you give it!" The voice declared as Lin and Tenzin both stood to stop a fight before it began.

"Fine, if it gets you out of my office, I'll sign the damn thing!" A surprisingly General Jong declared to their ultimate surprise.

"Did you just hear what I just heard?" Tenzin asked in awe. "I heard it but I don't believe it." Lin responded. She wondered how long she would have to wait before the papers were slammed on her desk and she could get a team ready to release him. Luckily she didn't have to wait to long because a middle aged man confidently walked up to her desk and slammed the papers on her desk.

"There, all seven signatures necessary for his release!" The man proclaimed with a broad smile on his face. Looking closely, Lin discovered there were indeed the seven signatures of the board. "When's the soonest you can have him released?" The man asked looking at his two allies.

Hardening her expression, Lin smirked. "If I have any say in it, I'll have him out before the days done and now that you've given me the signatures needed, I do have a say." She told him before looking for one stepping out of the door way. "Rai, get me a team of skilled waterbenders and have them meet me at the edge of Republic River!" A young man jumped at the yelling but dashed off to fulfil his orders.

"I'm sure Korra would be willing to help. It'd be a good distraction from Amon's recent actions" Tenzin offered with a light smile. Lin nodded. "Then get her and meet us at the spot. I take it you wish to be there for his release Governor?"

The man shook his head. "As much as I wish I could, I have to Goldstone City. They've been hounding me about his release just as much I've been hounding the politicians. Though please tell him we wish for him to visit the town. Those of us that were alive during that time still remember him and I know I'm not the only one who wishes to thank him for all he's done." Kero replied with a small smile.

"Of course Governor, now if you will excuse me, I have to get the site ready for his release." Lin told him bowing her head to him.

-Scene Break-

Korra looked at the forest around her as Tenzin led her to the river. When Tenzin had asked her to help with the release of an innocent man, she had thought he meant breaking him out of prison or at least going to a prison. She had not expected to be led through the forest where the prisoner apparently resided. When they finally arrived at the river, Korra noticed that there were several people dressed in water tribe apparel.

"Alright now that were all here, I'll tell you why you're here. Years ago an innocent man was imprisoned by the former Avatar and after years of presenting evidence we have finally received the final signature to release said man. Three hundred feet below us the man resides frozen in a block of ice. Your goal is to not only bring him back to the surface but to thaw him out. Understood?" Lin declared as everyone nodded.

Korra wondered what type of man the prisoner would have to be in order for the previous Avatar to freeze him and why had he been frozen if he was innocent. Taking her position among the waterbenders they began to slowly bend the water up and out of the river until finally a large sphere of ice emerged.

"Alright everyone, set him down in the marked area." Lin barked as the benders began to do just that. Through the ice, Korra could faintly make out a shade of white hair. Slowly but sure the benders began to defrost him until finally the man fell out spread across the ground. Whatever Korra had imagined the man being was nothing like how he turned out to be. Though he had a white hair he looked no older then herself. His outfit was torn in random places showing off multitudes of scars that covered his body. No one dared to approach the man until he lifted his head up. His eyes were squinted as they began to adjust for the first light they had seen in decades. His gaze landed on her and he groaned.

"Great, I spent god knows how long in that hunk of ice and now I'm dead, just great." He muttered to himself. "Um, hate to break it to ya buddy but you're not dead." Korra said with a smirk. "Korra's right Thomas, you are in fact still in the land of the living." Tenzin reaffirmed as the man now identified as Thomas made it to his knees.

"Ya right. I may be dead but I ain't stupid. If I'm still alive then why do I see an angel, huh?" Thomas questioned pointing directly at Korra.

While the others looked on in silence Lin stepped over to Tenzin. "I think all that time in the iceberg turned him crazy." She whispered.

"I'm not crazy, I know an angel when I see one." Thomas protested loudly. Korra looked at the man before her. His blue eyes danced around looking at everybody and everything. "And why do you think I'm angel besides the fact you think your dead?" She asked tilting her head to the side.

Thomas groaned at the question before responding. "Obviously you've got a beauty beyond mere mortals, your eyes show a hidden fire that dares anyone to mess with you, and your hands are gentle yet hardened and your smile obviously made someone wet themselves in glee." He said gesturing to the puddle he was in the middle of with his head.

"Thomas, you really aren't dead. It's been more than twenty-five years since you were frozen by dad." Tenzin spoke softly. Thomas seemed to absorb the words before they finally hit him. "Dad? Who the hell are you?" He demanded still making no attempt to rise from the ground. "Jeesh, I remember you were thick headed but I don't remember you being this thick." Lin told him crossing her arms over her chest.

"Wow you sound just like my little sister little Lin." This had the gathered people snickering like children.

"Well that my dear brother is because she is indeed little Lin." Tenzin said still hoping Lin wasn't right and that there dear brother wasn't crazy.

"Wait if she's little Lin then that means you're… Tiny Zin!" Thomas declared loudly. Chuckling Tenzin approached him. "That's right. Now why don't you get off the ground and we can head back to Air Temple Island to try and get you caught up on everything you've missed." Tenzin tried as Thomas chuckled.

"If I could move my body, we wouldn't have had this discussion. I would've booked it the moment I was released." Thomas told them gesturing to the rest of his body with his head.

Korra decided to take a little initiative after hearing that statement and so rose the ground that Thomas was laying on. "Well then let's go Mr. I think I'm dead but I'm really not." She declared lifting him up on the stone board. She began to walk towards where Oegi laid waiting with Tenzin and Lin right behind her.

"Nice girl, can I keep her?" Thomas whispered to Tenzin with a sly smile. "I don't know. Maybe if you behave, she'll keep you." Tenzin replied to which Thomas nodded.

As they approached Oegi, Lin raised an eyebrow. "What was that all about?" She asked sensing a double meaning from Tenzin's words. "Merely thinking of the future." He replied cryptically.

Lin huffed knowing that she was unlikely to get any more information out of the stubborn Air Bender. Though it usually wasn't a bad thing when Tenzin was cryptic, it still annoyed her to no ends. Then to make matters worse the only person who could probably get the information out of him was currently flirting with the Avatar. Wait, flirting with the Avatar? Her gaze shot back Korra who was currently talking with Thomas as she helped him on Oegi and sure enough there was a light blush on her cheeks. It looked as though things would get very interesting in the near future…..

_And that's all. I've been thinking of this idea for a while and well it turned out better than I thought. Leave a comment, follow, or favorite to show if you like the idea so far. And trust me this won't only be a romance. And not everything is as it appears to be. Also I'm having problems remembering the time line and figuring out the difference between and the original so if someone could help me with that, that'd be great. till next time Ja Ne  
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	2. Chapter 2: The suns thunder

Thomas watched as the sun rose from the horizon. The last time he had seen the sun rise was the morning he had been frozen almost fifty years ago, though to him it was just a few days ago. After having been thawed he had been given a room at Air Temple Island and was given the opportunity to meet with his nieces and nephew. He had also been given the chance to reconnect with his younger brother and his wife. Though it was still pretty awkward with him being over fifty years old yet only looking eighteen. He could only imagine how Bumi and Kya would react when they learned of his release. He chuckled knowing that Kya along with Lin would both start planning their revenge for all the times he had beaten them in sparring matches as soon as Kya arrived.

He clenched his fist and unclenched it. The past three days had been difficult both mentally and physically. He was still in the process of adapting to the new world around him and would be for a while. Physically however it took him a full three days to finally be able to move without tremendous difficulty.

"Alright, I've waited one week just like Tenzin asked. It's time to get some practice in." He said cracking his knuckles. Opening the window of his room he leapt out into the courtyard and landed with a hard thump. "Ok, first order of business, gotta get my body into shape." He said standing from his crouching position. With that said he began to go through some of the various bending combinations he knew without actually bending the elements around him.

About half an hour later he stopped feeling confident that his body could handle the bending he had planned. Just as he was about to begin, he heard the footsteps of someone behind him and immediately tensed.

"Wow, didn't take you for an early riser." Korra's voice echoed which allowed Thomas's muscles to relax. "I could say the same for you Avatar Korra. Don't you need your beauty sleep or something?" Thomas responded light heartedly.

"Nah, who needs beauty sleep when you're the Avatar?" Korra asked striking a dramatic pose. "Well then Avatar how about you help me tell just how far my skills have degraded?" Thomas offered with a small smile.

"You do realize I am the Avatar right?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. "Yes and I'll be sure to go easy on you all mighty Avatar. Can't have the great and powerful Avatar breaking a nail now can we?" He teased to which she narrowed her eyebrows. "Crippled or not you are so going down for that comment."

He merely gestured for her to come get him. Without another word she charged him and let out a blast fire from her fist. The fire was blocked by a rock wall that rose from the ground. Because she was so focused on the wall she didn't see the mild shockwave the ground was giving off. When she went to take a step forward a large stalagmite erupted from the ground knocking her off balance. With quick reflexes she put her hands to the ground and flipped backwards narrowly avoiding another stalagmite.

"Two can play at this game." She muttered launching him into the air with a stalagmite of her own. To her surprise his next move was not an Earthbending move. Instead a large torrent of fire shot out at her from his fist. Thinking fast, she bended the water from the lake around her and into the torrent of fire. When the two elements collided steam engulfed the field.

Korra looked around trying to find her opponent but unfortunately was unable to thanks to the steam. When she was suddenly grabbed from behind she unleashed a blast of fire at her would be captor. She kept the flames up for a good fifteen seconds before she was released only to be wrapped in a giant bear hug from the front. She tried exhaling a large stream of fire from her mouth to fight off the stone creature that had grabbed her only for it to do little to nothing. It then began to sink into the ground dragging her with it.

She was helpless as she was embedded neck deep into the ground. "Damn it! Let me out!" She cried struggling within the earth. Upon her screams the steam was suddenly blown away and the site that greeted her was something she had never thought possible. There standing all over the battle field were human sized golems all aimed at her with Thomas at the edge looking upon her with a look of great concentration.

"What the hell?" She asked as the golems all fell back into the earth. The moment they fell, the earth around her opened up allowing her to climb out from the hole she had been trapped in. "Damn, only twelve golems. I guess being in an iceburg for fifty years really does take its toll on you." She heard him mutter as he slid to his knees.

"You beat me." She said in disbelief as he shook his head. "Nah, you were going easy on me and plus had you been trying you could've easily escaped my little trap." He told her with a smile. She seemed to accept that answer as she approached him. "You know I was wondering why Tenzin was speaking so highly of you. Guess it's a pretty big deal that someone other than the Avatar can bend two elements, huh?" She told him to which he chuckled at.

"What's so funny?" She asked with a glare. "Sorry." He began as his laughter began to die down. "It's just that I can bend more than two elements." He finished with a cheeky smile. "Alright so you can bend three elements. Even rarer, I guess." She told him only for him to shake his head. It took her a minute to get what he meant by that until it hit her. "You can bend all four elements?!" She exclaimed in disbelief. "I was bending all four elements like five years ago. Well more like thirty-five years ago but you get the point." He told her with a carefree smile.

"B-but how? I mean, people who can bend two elements aren't unheard of but for someone other than the Avatar to bend all four elements? I didn't think it was possible." She told him wide eyed.

_'Thomas!' A female voice screamed _

_'I'm sorry. I know we promised to help you but we can't let the ways of our tribe die with us.' The male voice said barely above a whisper. _

"Thomas?" Korra asked watching as glazed look in his eyes disappeared. He shook his head to clear his head once more. "Sorry, got lost in thought. What were you saying?" He asked trying unsuccessfully to mask the emotions that had suddenly sprung forward.

"I was talking about how uncommon it was to bend more than one elements." She said watching him carefully. "It's not as uncommon as people think. It's just that the knowledge of was lost long ago." He told her without a trace of one of the smiles she had come to identify with him. During the week since he had thawed out there had been little to do but talk as he regained feeling in his limbs. Since there was no news on Amon, Korra had been in the same boat. So it was no surprise that Korra had been deemed the one to catch him up on the last thirty years. During that time she had always seen him wearing a smile of some sorts even during that one time she had caught him sound asleep.

"You mean there are others beside the Avatar that can bend all four elements?" She asked with a hint of enthusiasm. 'Maybe one of them can tell me why I've been having so much trouble with trying to airbend' She thought to herself.

"There used to be. I don't know if there are any left though." He said looking up towards the sky. "What do you mean if there are any left?" She asked taking a seat on the ground. Thinking to himself for a moment THomas debated whether he should tell her or not. In the end he sighed. "There used to be a whole village full of people that could bend multiple elements. Some could bend two or three while others..." "Could bend all four like you. So what happened to the village?" Korra cut in quickly.

"A mistake was made. They were attacked by someone they had trusted. This person didn't spare a single man, woman, or child. Slaughtered them all. So when I say I don't know if any are left, I truly mean I don't know of anyone survived." He said subconsciously rubbing the center of his chest as he spoke.

"How could anyone do something like that?" Korra asked looking down at her hands. "I don't know but I'm pretty sure he's paid for his crimes in the last thirty years." He told her while he fought the overwheleming urge to relive those memories. Luckily he won and with a tight smile turned to her once more.

"So that's my dramatic story for the week. Your turn Ms. I'm feeling guilty about something." He told her to which she looked up. "Well, I can't say mines more dramatic then yours but you remember that Amon guy, I was telling you about?" When he nodded his head, she continued. "Well, he's been taking people's bending away and lately he's been becoming bolder and bolder. Last week he took away the bending of twelve people all while announcing it over the radio." She told him while wrapping her arms around her legs.

"I see. And Lin doesn't have any leads on him?" He asked after thinking for a moment. "No and that's the worst part. He's only been found when he's wanted to be found." She told him with a deep sigh. "Seems like we need to set a trap." Thomas said after a few minutes. "Alright tried that. Got our butts handed to us." She blew off immediately. "Really and how did they manage to hand the mighty Avatar her ridiculously cute butt?" He asked jumping from his spot on the ground. "Electrical Whip. I got lucky that Tenzin was there or they would've taken me that night." She told him with a shiver.

"An electrical whip? Why didn't you just bend around it?" He asked with a curious smile on his face. "Bend around it? I'm having enough trouble as it is learning Air bending to be able to bend lighting is way out of my league. I mean even Mako can barely do it with all his fancy firebending movements." She told him only to look up and see him with his finger and thumb spread apart

"Don't give up on the Airbending thing. It'll come when you need it most, trust me. As for the lightning bending well let's just say I may happen to know someone whose a master of said lightning bending. This person may even be interested in teaching the great and powerful Avatar." He told her with a large smile.

"Oh really and who could this brilliant lightning bender be?" She asked with a tight smirk. The moment she said she watched as lighting filled the gap between his finger and thumb. "So you interested in learning lighting bending from the only true master?" He asked to which she chuckled. "I guess I could do worse. Teach me your ways old and wise master." She said with a mock bow.

"Hey, don't call me old. I'm only- 3,5, carry the two and add the one- fifty five! Crap, I am old!" He cried dramatically as he fell to his knees. Unable to hold her laughter Korra doubled over laughing. Thirty seconds later her laughter was cut short as a bolt of lighting narrowly missed her head. SHe turned to see him with a serious look on his face and his hand held out towards her.

"Lesson number 1: distraction equals death."

_Alright guys, I am so sorry it took me this long to get chapter two out. My computer crashed on me and I had to fix it up. Next time on Legend of Korra: A different story- Korra has finally learned the basics of Lightning bending and is now taking Thomas on his first trip to Republic city. However it seems that Amon has other plans and the two are caught right in the middle. Stay tune till next time. Ja Ne_


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